Unexpected
by homesweethomicide13
Summary: Sometimes the best lovers are the unexpected ones... Number 1 in my Themed DQ Fanfiction Challenge


**Title:** Unexpected  
**Author:** homesweethomicide13  
**Rating:** M  
**Warning:** Yaoi, male x male, scenes of a sexual nature  
**Pairing:** Barda x Doom  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own. If I did… well, you'd know about it XD  
**Summary:** Sometimes the best lovers are the unexpected ones  
**Theme:** Yaoi

**Unexpected  
**_**Yaoi**_

Sitting in the palace gardens was always relaxing for those who needed to escape the busy life inside the palace. For Doom, he preferred to hide away in an enclosed section in a corner, surrounded by trees and sweet-smelling flowers. It was his space, claimed when he had stumbled upon it by accident one afternoon. It wasn't visible from the main gardens due to the overhanging trees at its entrance, and the thick holly bushes that curled around it like a natural wall. He sat down in the centre of the secret grove, feeling the springy, lush grass between his fingers. Smiling slightly, he lay back and folded his arms behind his head, acting as a make-shift pillow. He had a perfect view of the cobalt sky from this position, and he watched the clouds pass by overhead.

He kept this place a secret, not only because he'd rather his dark and gloomy reputation remained dark and gloomy, but because every other space in the gardens was always occupied with squealing children, bustling mothers and other irritants that Doom wished to escape. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes and there was a peaceful quiet around, it reminded him of the man on Dread Mountain, and his natural home. Ever since he had regained his memory, he had begun to get vivid images of the man who had died because of him. Doom of the Hills, the man whose name he had taken on as his own all those years ago.

He closed his eyes now, and pictured him in his mind. If he looked hard enough, he could see that the two of them weren't that different in looks. Years of living in the heart of nature had given him a certain look, and Doom had acquired the same in the years of the Shadow Lord's reign. Shifting his fingers slightly, he tangled them in the rough ponytail of thick, dark hair. He refused to cut his long hair, despite the troubles it often caused. Sharn had insisted that he at least do something to keep it out of his eyes when he was working in the forge, and thus he had started tying it back. He smiled again. Sharn was definitely the mother figure for all of them. She had taken in Jasmine as her daughter – especially since she had no daughter of her own – and treated her exactly as she treated Lief. Marilen and Ranesh were also 'mothered' often, and their young son Josef was viewed as Sharn's grandson. Even Barda hadn't escaped it; however his experience of having kind, gentle Min as his mother had taught him how to avoid unnecessary mothering.

It was hard not to laugh whenever Sharn caught him unawares and forced him to eat before leaving for work, or when she dusted off and smoothed out his uniform. Despite it all, Doom knew that deep inside Barda wasn't really complaining. He may have told them of how his mother used to embarrass him in front of his friends when she fussed over him, but he never for one minute hinted that he didn't like it. Doom knew that Barda would do anything to have his mother back, and although that was impossible, Sharn was there to fill in the position.

The abnormal rustling of leaves snapped Doom to attention, and he opened his eyes and sat up, turning his head to stare in the direction of the overhanging trees. It wasn't unusual for the leaves of the trees to sway and rustle in the wind, but he knew the difference between the wind's movements, and human movements. He frowned slightly, wondering who could possibly have discovered his little spot. He was mildly annoyed that he had been disturbed, but that annoyance evaporated when he set eyes on the interruption.

It was the pale blue uniform and long dark hair that gave him away even before Doom could see his face. There were plenty of guards with dark hair, and no doubt most of them were easy to confuse with the others, but no one could mistake this particular guard for anyone else. The long fringe and scruffy back were unmistakeable. And as the guard lifted his head clear of the leaves, those familiar dark sapphire eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, I'd never have expected to find you here, Doom." He growled with a slight grin. Doom rolled his eyes.

"I could say the same for you, Barda." He drawled. Barda chuckled slightly and walked over to him. "What are you doing here?" Smirking, Barda sat down beside Doom and leant back on his hands.

"I come here to relax whenever I get the chance. You won't believe how refreshing it is to get away from those idiotic guards." He sighed. Doom raised his eyebrows and Barda grinned. "What? Am I not allowed to speak my thoughts on guards I have trained myself?" Without waiting for a reply, Barda sat up again and shrugged off his jacket, tossing it carelessly to one side. "And what business do you have here?"

"Pretty much the same reason. Minus the guards, of course." Doom smiled. "Heh. How Lief and Jasmine would laugh if they found out the two of us come here."

"I'd never hear the last of it." Barda murmured. "They're still teasing me about that horrifying experience I had last month." Doom laughed.

"Horrifying experience? Barda, a woman giving you not-so-subtle hints that she wants to marry you is _not_ a horrifying experience." He grinned. Barda raised an eyebrow.

"The very thought of marriage terrifies me." This caused Doom to laugh again, and Barda smiled. "I don't know how you managed it, Doom."

"Simple. I met a lovely, kind woman – well, a girl she was at the time – and I fell in love with her. Surely you've experienced love before?" Barda didn't reply for so long that Doom thought he wasn't going to reply at all, but then he sighed.

"Aye. I have." It was spoken so shortly that Doom knew – even if he had wanted to – he would not get another word out of him. Silence fell over them, and they sat there awkwardly, Barda perhaps not so awkwardly, as the songs of nesting birds hung in the air around them. "Would you ever marry again?" The question caught Doom by surprise. Barda hadn't turned to look at him, but Doom could see that he was staring up at the sky wistfully.

"I've never thought of it, but I don't think I would. I'd feel as though I was replacing Anna, which I could never do. Plus I don't believe I could ever love a woman as much as I loved Anna." Barda smiled and turned to look at him.

"What about a man?" It was so out of the blue that Doom had to go over the words several times before he believed that he'd actually heard them. He gaped at Barda, who had the utmost serious expression on his face. Doom blinked slowly, swallowed hard, and wet his lips.

"Again, I've never thought of it. It's never occurred to me that I could possibly… I mean… I don't think I could…"

"Love a man? Spend the rest of your life devoted to him?" Barda finished for him. Doom could only stare at him. "I confess, I'd never thought of it either. The thought just came to me the last time I was here, when I was… reliving my past, shall I say? I mean… after that woman hinted at marriage to me, I know I may have freaked out a bit, but I've never been interested in marrying a woman. My mother tried to get me to marry before the Shadow Lord invaded but to no avail. I just… I told myself it was because I wasn't particularly interested in the women who were willing to marry me. I didn't want to marry some high born lady who thought she was higher than me just because her parents were nobles and my mother was a humble servant." Doom contemplated a response, but decided against it. If he interrupted Barda now, he might not ever know why Barda had brought up the subject. "Looking back, there were plenty of nice servant girls to choose from, and yet… I preferred to spend my time training and relaxing with my friends. I was more interested in climbing the status ladder to the Chief position." He paused and laughed. "I worked so hard, and I was almost the Deputy when the Shadow Lord invaded and now… just like that, I'm the Chief."

"Well, it's not as if you didn't work for it. You helped save Deltora, after all." Doom smiled. Barda turned to him again and grinned.

"Aye, but we all played a part in that." He stopped and sighed. "The point I was trying to make was… I don't think I'm all that interested in women." Doom's jaw was on the verge of dropping, but he caught himself just in time. Barda was confiding in him, something he rarely – perhaps never – did with anyone. Barda was putting a lot of trust into him, and Doom wasn't about to throw it back at him.

"What… what do you mean?" Barda's eyes lowered to the floor and his fingers idly played with a piece of grass.

"I think you know what I mean, Doom." The words sunk in and Doom swallowed nervously. He hadn't been prepared for such a big revelation. "I've told no one else. To be honest, I don't know why I told you. Sharn would have been the ideal one to talk to about this. She doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone, not unless they've done something terrible, and even then she's polite about it. As for Lief and Jasmine, even though the three of us promised we'd never keep secrets from each other, I don't think I could tell them this. It'd be far too embarrassing. I guess I told you because… you'd be the least likely to… I don't know… tease me about it I suppose." He laughed shortly. "God this sounds so stupid." Doom reached forward and put a hand on Barda's arm.

"No it doesn't." He said softly. Barda looked at him in surprise; partly because he had never heard Doom use such a soft tone before, and partly because it hadn't been what he had expected. "I know what you mean, and I understand how you must be feeling. I mean… it must be hard for you." Barda smiled slightly.

"You have no idea." They laughed quietly for a moment.

"Have you… um… I mean… uh…" Doom stammered, trying to find the right words to use. "Have you ever… been with another man?" He was surprised to find himself warming slightly, and he hoped he wasn't blushing.

"No… though there was one time, once when I was younger, when I kissed another man." This news still surprised Doom even though he had been expecting something similar, and his face warmed further.

"What… what was it like?" When Barda looked at him, he shrugged. "Just curious." He muttered quietly. Now he _knew_ he was blushing. He lowered his eyes in embarrassment, and so he didn't see the smile on Barda's face.

"You really want to know?" He asked Doom, who nodded slightly. "Well then… close your eyes, and I'll tell you." Still embarrassed, Doom closed his eyes. "Now, keep them closed, alright? Otherwise it'll ruin it." Doom nodded firmly in confirmation that he was going to keep his eyes closed. After a brief pause in which he considered opening one eye a little to see what Barda was doing, a pair of lips slowly slid over his own. He stopped himself from opening his eyes, but it was hard not to pull away. He was kissing Barda – this wasn't right! However, the more he told himself he should push him away, the more he found himself leaning into Barda, and he no longer had to focus on keeping his eyes closed. Fingertips danced over the back of his neck and he gasped in surprise. Now he pulled back and opened his eyes. Barda was knelt between his legs, biting his bottom lip and avoiding his eyes. Doom ran his tongue over his lips and sighed slightly. This caught Barda's attention and he looked up and met Doom's eyes.

"Barda…" Doom began.

"I'm sorry." He cut in. "I… I shouldn't have done that." Doom smiled slightly.

"Barda."

"No, don't say it's okay. It's not okay. I shouldn't have put you through that, I had no right. I didn't even ask permission to kiss you, which is proper, but I just –," He stopped talking when a finger pressed gently against his lips.

"Barda, you don't need to ask permission, I'm not a lady." Doom chuckled slightly, and Barda stared at him in surprise. "And besides… I did ask." A smile crossed his face. "But… I… I wouldn't have called that a proper kiss…" He couldn't believe what he was saying. He caught the look on Barda's face and read it wrong. "I'm sorry. I wasn't insulting the way you kiss, you kiss fine, really good. But what I meant was… I… what?" A smirk had slowly made its way onto Barda's face.

"Not a proper kiss, aye?" He murmured. He leaned in close to Doom's face – so close that Doom could feel his warm breath on his cheek. "Well, Doom… would you like a proper one?" Now the heat on his face wasn't from Barda. He was surprised at himself. When did he blush? What was it about Barda that could make him feel so… embarrassed? He hadn't felt like this since… since Anna.

"Barda… I…"

"No? Alright then." Barda shrugged and began to back away. After a second's hesitation, Doom lurched forward and captured Barda's lips with his. If the other man was surprised, he certainly didn't show it. He instantly took control, forcing his lips harder onto Doom's and lifting a hand to rest on the nape of his neck. Doom couldn't believe how natural it felt, and found himself enjoying it more and more. Slowly, he lifted a hand and brushed his fingertips over the flash of exposed skin by Barda's collarbone. With a spurt of confidence, he pushed his fingers underneath the collar of the shirt and planted his hand firmly on the spot where Barda's neck met his shoulder. A tongue swiped over his bottom lip and Doom parted his lips instantly, allowing Barda to deepen the kiss. Barda's other hand trailed up Doom's arm, before moving to his side, fingers slipping beneath his shirt.

Doom, who was using his other arm to hold himself upright, shifted his weight in the wrong direction and his arm gave out, and he fell backwards onto the grass, bringing Barda with him. He stared up into Barda's eyes with a nervous smile, and Barda smirked. It felt as though someone had gone and turned up the heat, since everything seemed ten times warmer than it had when Barda had first sat down beside him.

"Barda?"

"Hmm?"

"Wow." Doom gasped out. Barda grinned. "You sure know what you're doing." Doom smiled when he felt Barda playing with his hair and closed his eyes briefly. He didn't know why, but he felt perfectly comfortable with Barda on top of him like that. His eyes opened suddenly when teeth nipped at his neck and bit down slowly. He could feel himself arching into Barda. He didn't know if Barda knew that his neck was his biggest weakness, but he didn't care. The only one who could have him writhing in ecstasy like this had been Anna, and now it was happening again with Barda. Doom lifted a hand and tangled his fingers in Barda's hair, holding his head down as though Barda might stop his delicious work at any moment. Barda shifted slightly and his knee slid tentatively up against Doom's crotch. The sudden friction was too much for Doom, and he couldn't stop the low moan from escaping. The moment it was past his lips he knew there was no going back. He was officially aroused, and it was another man that had put him in such a state. He tugged gently on Barda's hair to get the man to lift his head, and he did so, staring intently at him.

"Was there something you wanted?" Barda murmured sensually. Doom didn't know when Barda's voice had suddenly become so husky, but it was incredibly hot. He gazed into Barda's eyes and brought their lips together briefly.

"You." Barda's eyes widened for a moment, as though he couldn't believe he'd just heard that, but then he eased into a smile. He traced Doom's jaw with a single finger and the smile widened.

"Are you sure? Because you know… it's a pretty big commitment. It's not like making love to a woman, Doom. Sure there's plenty of passion in that but… it can't compare to this." Doom let it all process in his head for a moment before he smiled back at Barda.

"You've opened my eyes to a whole new world, Barda. I'd have never thought of this on my own. At first I was a bit… nervous. But after that kiss… the first one, I mean… god I just don't want to let you go." Barda's smile became a grin at that and he lowered his head to kiss him.

"Alright, if you're sure." Doom nodded. Barda kissed him again, slower this time, and Doom relaxed into him. Barda's hands trailed down to Doom's chest and slowly undid all the buttons down the front. Pushing the material open, Barda broke the kiss and trailed his tongue over the new, untouched skin. Doom gasped and let his head fall back onto the grass, his eyes closing as shivers ran down his spine. Barda tugged at the shirt and Doom took the hint, lifting himself just enough so that Barda could take it off and throw it down beside his discarded jacket. As he sat back and brushed his fringe out of his face, Doom decided it was his turn to have some fun and he leant up to kiss Barda while his hands undid the first few buttons on his pale blue shirt. As he latched his lips onto the exposed skin, his hands slid underneath the shirt and circled around to Barda's back. Barda's arms snaked around him and Doom smirked when a gasp escaped his lips.

Leaving one hand beneath the shirt, Doom used the other to undo the rest of the buttons. As he swirled his tongue over Barda's collarbone, Barda slipped out of the shirt and pulled Doom's lips up to meet his. They fell back onto the grass again, their bare chests pressed tightly together. The feeling of skin on skin sent shivers throughout both their bodies. Barda's crafty hands had now fixed themselves onto Doom's belt and were busily unclasping it. As Barda unzipped Doom's pants, he let his fingers dance over the obvious erection concealed within Doom's clothes. Doom moaned into the kiss and raked his blunt nails down Barda's back. Barda tugged Doom's pants down as far as he could, with some help from Doom, and then Doom took over and kicked them the rest of the way off.

Now Doom reversed their positions, flipping them over so Barda was lying on his back. He straddled Barda's hips and trailed his fingers over his chest, tracing every scar that marked the otherwise perfect flesh. Deciding that it was unfair to be half-naked and Barda not, Doom shifted and knelt up while his hands reached behind him to unclasp Barda's belt. Barda's hands helped him remove his pants and, like Doom had, he kicked them off when neither of them could reach any further. Then his hands found Doom's boxer shorts and he suggestively tugged at the waistband, causing Doom to blush slightly.

"Barda… is this going to hurt?" Doom whispered suddenly. Barda smiled.

"I'll be gentle." The sincerity in his voice – joined with a mix of trust and something Doom couldn't place – comforted his sudden fears and he all but tore his boxers off. Surprised at the sudden eagerness, Barda could only stare as Doom tugged off Barda's boxers. Doom stopped and gazed down at Barda for a moment, taking in the sight of him. Now he understood why so many women were offering themselves to him as his wife. The man was beautiful.

"However have you not been reeled in by some beautiful woman already?" He asked in wonder. "Or, man." He added with a smile.

"I have eyes only for one." Barda replied in a quiet voice. Before Doom could let the words sink in and realize what they meant, Barda had switched their positions again and had a hand dangerously close to Doom's cock. Slowly, his fingertips danced over the entire length, trailing up and down the shaft teasingly, causing Doom to gasp and moan. And then the fingers were gone, but before Doom could complain, his cock was engulfed by a warm cavern, and a tongue was curling itself around the shaft. Doom's hands moved to Barda's head and tangled in his hair, pulling gently every now and then as Barda sucked and licked alternately. Doom felt a familiar sensation in his lower region and furiously pulled Barda's head up. Taking the hint, Barda knelt between Doom's legs and drew two fingers into his mouth.

"Barda, what… oh god…" Doom watched as Barda coated his fingers in saliva, sliding them in and out of his mouth in such an erotic manner that Doom felt an orgasm building up. Finally Barda pulled his fingers out of his mouth, a string of saliva still connecting them to his mouth. He broke that string quickly with his tongue, and with his other hand he lifted Doom's hips.

"Help me out here, darlin'." He murmured. Doom nodded and wrapped his legs around Barda's waist as Barda placed his slippery fingers against Doom's entrance. Doom closed his eyes as one finger pushed inside slowly. It didn't hurt as much as he had anticipated and he gradually got used to it. Barda then inserted the second finger, and this time it hurt a lot. He cried out in pain, and Barda stopped. "Are you okay? I don't want to hurt you too much." Through the pain, Doom felt a sudden flurry of butterflies.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Keep going." Barda nodded and leant down to kiss him in hopes of distracting him from the pain. He spread his fingers once they were fully inside of him, drew them out and pushed them back in. Soon enough Doom was moaning into the kiss and he didn't notice when a third finger was inserted. Barda broke the kiss and removed his fingers.

"Alright, I think you're ready." Doom was panting heavily and Barda could see that he was rather tense. "Listen, try to relax okay? I'm going to go slowly, since I don't want to hurt you, and if you relax it'll be a lot easier for you." He explained. Just for reassurance, he leant down and gave him a quick kiss. Doom relaxed his muscles and closed his eyes. Barda positioned himself and slowly began to enter Doom. The older man kept most of what he was feeling hidden from his face as he didn't want Barda to know how much it was hurting. After a while he began to get used to it, and he gasped slightly when Barda was fully inside him.

"God… nothing that feels this good should be legal." Doom moaned softly. Barda chuckled and captured Doom's lips with his. He set up a steady pace, aiming for a certain spot deep inside Doom that would take away any remaining pain. Doom broke the kiss and moved his lips to Barda's neck, kissing, biting and licking at every spot. Barda pressed his forehead to Doom's shoulder and a growl escaped his lips. That in itself sent Doom crazy. The man made such beautiful noises. Barda quickened the pace and Doom suddenly threw his head back with a cry of ecstasy has Barda struck that spot inside of him. For a moment, all Doom could see was stars and white flashes before everything came back to him. It was only a matter of seconds before Barda hit that spot again, and he clawed at Barda's back, biting down on his neck as the pleasure increased.

"Fuck… _Jarred…_" Barda gasped as he thrust harder into Doom, who didn't notice the use of his real name. He was aware that the orgasm that had been bubbling at the surface for a while was now close to breaking through and he tangled one hand in Barda's hair, pulling their faces together for another kiss. Soon enough, when Barda slammed into his prostate once more, he came with a loud moan, covering them both with his juices. His muscles clenched down around Barda's cock and he let go, filling Doom with his seed. As their climaxes slowly calmed down and then ceased altogether, Barda collapsed on top of Doom, his head on his shoulder. Doom, still panting heavily from the explosive orgasm, smiled and raked his fingers through Barda's hair in a soothing motion. Barda made a quiet noise of contentment and nuzzled Doom's neck like a cat, which caused Doom's smile to widen.

"That was… amazing." He gasped out at last. He closed his eyes and listened to Barda's steady breathing. "Barda… what… what happens now?" Barda lifted his head to meet Doom's gaze.

"I don't know. You tell me." There was something in his voice that Doom didn't like, and Barda seemed a little down. "I mean, if this was just sex then well… I…"

"It wasn't." Doom said without thinking. It surprised him, but he knew it was true. And now that he thought about it, he'd missed some pretty obvious signs. The fact that Barda had trusted him with the information that he was gay, the first kiss they'd shared, and when he had said that he 'only had eyes for one'. And thinking back, he also realized that when he had promised to be gentle, there had been love in his voice. Doom cursed himself for not noticing it sooner. "Barda?"

"Hmm?"

"You love me, don't you?" Perhaps he should have waited to ask that question. Barda went rigid and he shifted awkwardly. "Wait… I mean… it's not a bad thing, it's just… I've been rather slow today and I've only just worked it out and… well… I have a feeling I might love you too." Barda met his gaze and sighed.

"You're not just saying that are you? Because… it's true. I do love you. I have for a while, I've just never been able to tell you, or do anything about it." Then he smiled. "Until today."

"Barda, I'm not just saying it. I know for a fact I wouldn't have done this with anyone. I'm pretty damn sure you're the only one I'd give myself to." Barda closed his eyes and sighed with a smile. He opened his eyes again and Doom was surprised to see tears in them. "Hey… what's with the tears?" He asked softly, reaching up and stroking his hand down one cheek.

"You've no idea how much I… never mind that. Now isn't the time, but… god Jarred, I love you so much." He lowered his head to kiss Doom softly. When they pulled apart, Doom realized something.

"Did you just… call me Jarred?" He asked in wonder. Barda nodded. Smiling, Doom kissed him again. "I like the way you say my name, Barda. I'd like it if you called me Jarred from now on, instead of Doom." Barda grinned.

"Then, does that mean –,"

"Barda," Doom took Barda's hand in his and laced their fingers together, "I'd like for us to do this again. I'd like for us to be together from now on. I love you, Barda." Barda kissed him quickly.

"I love you too, Jarred." Doom smiled again at the sound of his real name. Barda resumed his position on top of Doom, with his head on Doom's chest this time, and he sighed happily. "You know… I think I might take the rest of the day off." Doom chuckled.

"Oh no, can't have you slacking. What kind of example are you setting your guards? Come on you, it's probably best we dress anyway, in case a child stumbles upon this place at entirely the wrong time." Sighing – in frustration this time – Barda hoisted himself up and slid out of Doom with ease. They quickly redressed and attempted to make themselves look more presentable. Barda didn't particularly want any comments from his guards about how he looked as though he'd just had sex in a bush. Because technically, he had. As he was fixing his jacket, Doom stepped up behind him and slid his arms around his waist. Barda leant back into the embrace and smiled.

"I don't want to leave." Doom murmured. "I love this place even more." Barda turned around in Doom's arms and kissed him. "Oh, and… yes."

"Huh?" Barda asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Yes." Doom repeated with a smile. "I could love another man." Grinning, Barda brought him into another kiss. "Now come on, I'll walk you to your office." They left the enclosed grove that now held so many beautiful memories and stepped out into the palace gardens. Throwing caution to the wind, Doom stepped up beside Barda and slipped his hand into his. Grinning, Barda laced their fingers tightly together and they walked through the gardens towards the doors into the Great Hall. People stared in amazement as they walked past, bewildered and baffled that the two most withdrawn men were openly holding hands. As the two entered the Great Hall, they were met by Lief, Jasmine and Sharn.

"There you are! We've been looking for you both for ages!" Lief and Jasmine yelled at the same time. "Where were you?"

"And why are you holding hands?" Jasmine asked afterwards, finally spotting their linked fingers. Barda and Doom exchanged a smile.

"Because that's what couples do." Doom responded. As Lief and Jasmine gaped at them, a guard ran over to Barda.

"Chief, I think you should know, someone reported some unusual noises coming from the southeast corner of the gardens, by the weeping willows and holly bushes." Now, Doom flushed slightly whilst Barda smirked.

"Oh don't worry, that won't be a problem any longer." Confused, the guard saluted and walked off once more. Sharn smiled knowingly at the two of them.

"What was it do you think?" Lief asked, finding his voice again. Sharn's smile widened.

"Why don't you ask these two? Barda, I must say, I like what you've done with your hair." Sharn laughed slightly as Barda frowned in confusion and lifted his free hand to his hair. He blushed slightly as he retrieved the twig from his hair, as well as the leaf that came with it.

"Um, yes well, er… you shouldn't worry about… that um, problem… I don't think it will er, be disturbing anyone anymore." He said nervously, trying to direct the conversation away from his hair, which still made him look like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.

"Not until next time at least." Doom muttered. Barda stifled a laugh, and whilst Lief and Jasmine stared at them in confusion, and Sharn, too, stifled a laugh, they walked off into the palace.

None of them missed the fact that Doom was limping.

**Author's Note**

Okay, first of all I want to thank you for reading this. I was up until ten to seven this morning writing it (mainly because I couldn't sleep and I was bored). I think I should mention that this is number #1 in my Themed Deltora Quest Fanfiction challenge. Which leads on to my next point. If you have a theme and you'd like to suggest it for the challenge, just message me or comment on this story with the suggested theme. So far I have four:  
Yaoi  
Marriage  
Death  
Angst  
If you want to add one to the list, please do so as I need more themes! So far there isn't a limit to how many I'm doing, but I may establish one at a later date.

Thanks,

- homesweethomicide13


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